The Welsh island of Anglesey will be home to the UK’s next major nuclear power station
The UK government aims to build a major nuclear power plant in north Wales as the country seeks to increase its stable, low-carbon electricity supply alongside wind farms to meet its climate goals.
According to a statement on Wednesday, Britain is starting negotiations with international energy companies to try building a power station at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey. A new gigawatt-scale nuclear plant at the site would potentially be the third new large-scale atomic plant in the UK, after decades of no new facilities being completed in the country.
Nuclear is vital to the UK’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with the current government’s plan to quadruple capacity by that year.
“We are driving the biggest expansion of nuclear energy in 70 years,” said Claire Coutinho, Secretary of State for energy security and net zero. “Wylfa will not only bring clean, reliable electricity to millions of homes but could also create thousands of well-paid jobs and bring investment to the whole of North Wales.”
So far there is only one large-scale plant under construction, Electricite de France SA’s Hinkley Point C, which is billions of pounds over budget and years behind schedule. Another station under development, Sizewell C, is still working to obtain financing.
The UK has agreed to buy the Wylfa site from Hitachi Ltd. earlier this year for £160 million ($203 million). It is an attempt to revive the site after the Japanese company abandoned it nearly four years ago, despite a generous government support package to build a nuclear plant there.
